SEIU Local 2000

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Nursing Home Workers

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Missouri Legislatures Pass Elderly Protection Act
While the Missouri General Assembly failed at most of legislative responsibilities this past session, it did manage to pass legislation designed to protect Missouri’s nursing home residents. Senate Bill 556, with bipartisan support from Sen. Peter Kinder and Lieutenant Gov. Joe Maxwell, the bill raises fines to $10,000 a day for serious safety violations. The bill also allows licensed with good inspection records and have maintained “substantial compliance” with the Department of Health and Senior Services.

The Voice Newsletter

May 8, 2003*
April 7, 2003*

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Uniting to Fix America's Nursing Homes

The decision to place a loved one in a nursing home is always a difficult one.

Nine out of ten nursing homes in America don’t have enough staff to provide adequate care to residents, according to a new study by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. And most nursing home caregivers in America receive poverty-level wages and little training or health coverage – conditions that force nearly 100 percent turnover.

By joining together with SEIU, nursing home workers are uniting with residents and their families, advocates, community leaders, and elected officials to win new standards for America’s nursing homes:

Safe staffing levels that are easy to understand and enforce.
Comprehensive training for nursing home workers.
Good caregiver careers, with benefits and wages that help attract and keep qualified staff.
State and federal funding systems that reward and encourage safe staffing and good working conditions.